― 13 января 2022 г.

Presentation of Bursa, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2022 in Belgrade

An event to introduce Bursa, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2022 was held in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

The event held in an hotel in Belgrade gathered TURKSOY Secretary General Dusen Kasseinov, the MP of Bursa and Chairman of thw Turkey-Serbia Interparliamentary Friendship Group Mustafa Esgin, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of th Republic of Turkey Ahmet Misbah Demircan, the Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality of Bursa Alinur Aktaş and his delegation along with the Deputy Minister of Culture and Information of Serbia Stanko Blagojevic and the Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojicic.

The event introducing the traditional cuisine, ceramics and handmade towels of  Bursa also featured a galanty show and raised great interest among the audience.

In the statement he made, the Mayor of Belgrade Mr. Radojicic said: "When H. E. Hami Aksoy, the Ambassador of Turkey to Belgrade informed me about this event I did not know what the city of Bursa looked like. The videos, photos and presentations I saw here today clearly stand as a proof of the fact that Bursa is one the most beautiful cities in the world."

Mayor Radojicic who further stressed his conviction as to the fact that Bursa which has been declared as the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World will be promoted in the best way possible  further added that: "Thanks to this title it has been awarded, the city of Bursa will be introduced to the world and people will be willing to discover this beautiful city.”

TURKSOY Secretary General  Dusen Kasseinov: "With ties of friendship it establishes among our member countries and kindred peoples, TURKSOY explores, fosters and transmits to future generations our common culture, language, history, art, traditions and customs so as to ensure their preservation."

Secretary General Kasseinov who also said that the cooperation between Serbia which shines with its rich cultural, artistic and historical heritage and TURKSOY grows stronger every day  added that: "In April this year, our organization signed an MoU with the Minsitry of Culture and Information of Serbia  and this has given a whole new dimension to our mutual cooperation.”

Ambassador Kasseinov further added: “Within the last five years, we have invested considerable efforts in the interaction between Cultural Capitals of the Turkic World and European Capitals of Culture. These efforts of ours have finally brought about positive results  and a cooperation agreement has been signed between Khiva, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World  2020 and Rijeka, the European Capital of Culture 2020. We strongly appreciate the impetus this has given to the urban diplomacy among our respective countries and regions. We now look forward to the signature of a protocol of twin cities between the Novi Sad, the European Capital of Culture in Serbia and our city of Bursa in Turkey so as to foster their mutual institutional ties.”

The Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality of Bursa Mr. Aktaş who said that he will be attending events to be held in Novi Sad, the European Capital of Culture 2022 upon invitation of the Minister of Culture and Information of Serbia Mr. Maja Gojkovic added that: "As stated by TURKSOY, Bursa has been declared as Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2022. Of course, this has been achieved thanks to the valuable contribution of the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy as well as of  Deputy Ministers and their staff. Hence, I would like to stress that we are ready to cooperate with our Serbian homologues to foster the mutual interaction between Novi Sad, the city oe poets and Bursa, the green city and Cultural Capital of the Turkic World throughout the year 2022."

Mayor Aktaş added:  "This event which brings together Bursa, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World and one of the most beautiful cities of Turkey with Belgrade, the capital and biggest city of Serbia  will bring about fruitful results."

The Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey  Mr. Demircan who also said a few words on this occasion quoted some verses by the famous Turkish poet Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar saying: "It seems I am right beside a miracle. Time in Bursa is a crystal clear chandelier of water sounds and bird flickerings.”

Deputy Minister Demircan who said that after Istanbul, Bursa is one of the most important cities when it comes to explaining what Turkish, Anatolian and Turkic culture is all about further added: "This is the first time I have come to Belgrade. It really is a beautiful city. It has very modern characteristics. Thanks to this cultural proximity we feel like home in this city of the Balkans. In the past, Bursa was in the middle of the Silkroad and of trade routes. Hence, due to this openness to many different cultures, Bursa has a strong industry and trade and is therefore  one of the cities which fully deserve the title of World Cultural Capital.”